Late in the day Friday, Dec. 14, 2018 multiple media outlets reported the shocking news. Peter Sullivan reports for The Hill:

A federal judge in Texas on Friday struck down the Affordable Care Act, throwing a new round of uncertainty into the fate of the law just one day before the deadline to sign up for coverage for next year. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that the law's individual mandate is unconstitutional, and that because the mandate cannot be separated from the rest of the law, the rest of the law is also invalid...The reasoning of the ruling states that in 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the mandate to have coverage because of Congress's power to tax. But, last year, Congress removed the fine for failing to comply with the mandate, which, he <O'Connor> argues, means the mandate is no longer a tax and therefore is unconstitutional.

Chinese scientist He Jiankui announced to the world that he successfully used the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to modify the DNA of two embryos before birth, essentially creating the world's first genetically modified humans...Editing the DNA of human embryos that go on to deliver has never been done before. And with good reason, scientists say. The technology is still in its infancy and could lead to a multitude of unknown genetic complications later in life. Scientists have reached an understanding that implanting such an embryo is a boundary that shouldn't be crossed until the risks are reduced or eliminated.

Among the many recurring topics, this year has been the impact of machine learning in our lives, especially the implications for our future work life. Prophecies range from ubiquitous utopian machine servants to a dystopian ravaging, hollowing out the work and economic standing of the middle and lower classes.

After decades in the political wilderness, "Medicare-For-All" and single-payer healthcare are suddenly popular. The words appear in political advertisements and are cheered at campaign rallies - even in deep-red states. They are promoted by a growing number of high-profile Democratic candidates, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Rep. Beto O'Rourke in Texas.

Republicans are concerned enough that this month President Donald Trumpwrote a scathing op-ed essay that portrayed Medicare-For-All as a threat to older people and to American freedom.